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me some clothes. I will wear my own armor. I see that is here on the chest. Enough! That is enough! Take that salve from the pot there and smear it over me. Gently! Now that cloth around me. I will do the rest. Give me the cloth. Go. Dress yourself. Then rouse the men and bid them in the stable to saddle the horsesanother of the gray stallions for me. Hurry!" |
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Stumbling with fatigue, Geoffrey found shirt and surcoat in one chest, chausses in another. Tears came to his eyes when he could not discover cross garters, but at last his scrabbling hands tangled in them. Already half clothed, Ian tore them from him and shoved him toward the door. Geoffrey snatched up his cloak, thanking God that he had been expecting a summons and had not undressed completely for the night. He could return for his own armor while the horses were being saddled. By the mercy of the Mother of God, his master might be gone from the chamber by then. |
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Owain might have attempted to reason with Ian. Jamie the Scot might have pointed out the insanity of dragging tired men out in the middle of the night for no reason. The Welshmen might have quoted staves about triad troubles bred by hasty and inconsidered acts. No one in Ian's present train was prepared to do anything except obey him implicitly. The red ruins he had created not so many hours before were too clear in all minds. Even the guards at the portcullis and drawbridge had heard about the slaughter. Old men and crippled veterans, they raised the portcullis and lowered the drawbridge without any argument. |
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In the morning, Alinor lay abed somewhat later than usual. Her mind skipped from her dream of Ian to her quarrel with him and back again. The quarrel had to be mended, but how? She lay very still, battling the desire simply to run to him and beg his pardon, as she would have done with Simon. Just outside of her range of vision her maid Gertrude waited for her mistress to wake, wringing her hands in distress. She had to tell |
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